


before the chill of fall, after the heat of summer

by mido



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: M/M, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-09 10:37:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20852063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mido/pseuds/mido
Summary: Ryoken and Ai kiss and make up.





	before the chill of fall, after the heat of summer

**Author's Note:**

> for imen @piulovemail on twitter!!! had fun writing this lol i feel like i struggled with characterization a bit though x__x

It doesn’t take much for Ryoken to notice. He was a man of details, so it only took so many indicators for him to understand, no matter what the real sentiment may have been. It took only so many brush-offs, only so many times that Ai had drawn his hand away from the other’s, only so many gazes Ai had shattered as he’d looked away.

Ryoken understood, of course. He was, fundamentally, a horrid person, and plus, wasn’t he responsible for nearly killing two of Ai’s family? It makes him clench his fists nowadays, the actions he couldn’t bring himself to regret, not even for Ai. It makes him grit his teeth and force the images of the Wind Ignis, decaying into shards of his former self, and of the Light Ignis, toppling to the ground only to be barely saved by his own savagery, to the back of his mind. He knows that he’d still do the same things he did back then if he were given a chance to do it over, even with the feelings he keeps from bursting out the seams in his day to day life-- he knows that there is nothing, not even love, that can keep him from his destiny.

But the thing is, fate works in funny ways. Ryoken knows the whole “kill the Ignis” thing isn’t what’s deterred Ai from ever being in the same room with him alone, because, at least, it hadn’t been before? Before, when they were just a hair’s width away from being what humans called  _ partners.  _ Or  _ boyfriends. _ In the  _ dating  _ sense of the word. So Ryoken’s left to scramble for answers, going through every last interaction he can remember between him and the Dark Ignis (Ai, he reminds himself, not Dark Ignis) for some scrap of understanding. If there’s one thing Ryoken can’t stand, it’s the irrationality that comes with feeling such strong emotions for another person. He knows Ai must feel the same way, what with his nature as an AI and all-- if he can even call Ai a person.

It takes exactly thirteen days for him to grow tired of dancing around that certain SOLtis, though. Ryoken has never been one to have a short temper (well, maybe back when he founded the Knights of Hanoi, he’d been a bit crazy back then), but he finds himself half a second from snapping in Ai’s face when he corners him at the docks, where he found him looking as if he were mourning some marine vessel or something with how wistfully he kept gazing out at the sea.

“Ah, Revolver.” He says, with no hint of familiarity to his voice other than the VR nickname. He looks completely unbothered at the fact that he can’t escape without arousing suspicion now, but Ryoken knows better, knows he’s aching for a reason to run. He  _ tsks, _ already irritated at the disuse of his first name despite Ai’s insistence for him to call  _ him _ by name. How hypocritical could one AI be?

Ai’s hands sit in his coat pockets, fidgeting with something in the left one. “If you use Yusaku as an excuse to leave, I’m ignoring you for the rest of my life.” He threatens, and he can tell that Ai understands he’s serious from the cold tone of his voice. “Have you been avoiding me?”

Ryoken watches the temptation to lie flit across Ai’s face, and he crosses his arms as if to say  _ don’t even try. _ Ai seems to get the message, and sighs exaggeratedly. “Maybe.” He pouts.

“Maybe?” Ryoken echoes, the usual serious lilt of his voice tinged with anger.  _ It would do him well not to take this as a joke, _ he thinks, a tight and furious heat pooling in his chest. “You’ve been brushing me off for nearly two weeks and blatantly  _ avoiding  _ me for a maybe?!”

Ai realizes his mistake then and tries to raise his hands placatingly before opening his mouth to speak, but Ryoken doesn’t give him a chance. “I’ll tell you what  _ I’ve _ been doing, then.” He snaps. “ _ I  _ have been reminiscing over every last thing I’ve ever done to you and wondering what I did wrong aside from, I don’t know, attempting mass murder against your kind, even though you never seemed too bothered by that before!  _ I  _ have been trying my damnedest to think back on every last conversation we’ve had to see if I said something wrong or something you disliked or anything at all that could’ve set you off!  _ I _ have been wondering where the fuck I went wrong aside from being a horrible human being, because you sure didn’t have an issue with that when you first confessed!” He takes a moment to breathe, but before he can resume his tirade, Ai interrupts. “Revolver, you--”

“Enough with the Revolver shit!” Ryoken borderline screams, not really caring anymore whether anyone overhears their argument, if it could even be called that with only one person really arguing. “What happened to ‘Ryoken’ this, ‘Ryoken’ that? Would you prefer I went back to calling you an  _ Ignis,  _ Dark Ignis?” 

He clenches his fists at his sides, not budging a centimeter when Ai’s expression darkens and he glares at Ryoken with too much venom for his heart to handle. “My name is Ai.” The other says carefully, enunciating every last syllable. “And before you oh so politely interrupt me again, I’ve got some great advice!” Ai spits. “ _ Listen _ to me!”

Ryoken bites his lip to keep from snarling, but he keeps silent. At the loss of words between them for a beat, Ai sighs tiredly, and opens his mouth once more. “I’m sorry.”

Ryoken almost opens his mouth to ask just what he’s sorry about aside from the major fucking elephant in the room, but he snaps it shut when Ai gives him a look. “I’m sorry I’ve been so distant, and yes, I know ‘distant’ is putting it lightly. I’m sorry, okay?” He looks to Ryoken with a pleading look.

“I know you humans all come out of the womb so versed in these strange emotions and all that, but I was created in a lab, yknow? I get scared, sure, but I’ve never had a mom or pop to teach me how to deal with it. I’ve never had anyone to tell me it’s alright to feel how I do. So when you seem to handle all this with such ease, it just… it makes me a little insecure, okay? I’ve never really… done ‘love’ before, so I’m sorry that I handled it badly, okay, Ryoken?”

A faint blush tints Ryoken’s cheeks at hearing the other speak the word “love” so easily and seriously, but he refuses to get sheepish now. “It’s… fine.” He says quietly. “It’s fine.” He repeats, with more resolve this time. “I apologize for yelling.” 

“Don’t get all formal on me now.” Ai raises an eyebrow, as if he doesn’t look like he wants to cry out in relief hearing that, and as if that exact desire isn’t written all over his face right now. Ryoken cracks a grin, and, taking two strides forward to close the distance between them. He takes Ai into his arms then, wrapping his around the other as he does the same. “I am sorry, though.” Ai murmurs in his ear, and even though Ryoken knows it’s supposed to be a heartfelt moment, he can’t help the shiver that snakes down his spine at Ai’s voice in such close proximity. “It’s fine.” He murmurs back, leaning his head on Ai’s shoulder.

When they draw back from each other, it’s all Ryoken can do to not kiss Ai silly right then and there, which is, exactly what he does. Ai makes a surprised noise into his mouth, but he melts into the chaste touch nonetheless. He cups Ryoken’s cheek with one hand, and smiles into the kiss when the other leans into it without thinking. They break apart after a moment, foreheads touching. If Ai mouths words he knows Ryoken can make out, the other definitely doesn’t turn red. In fact, he definitely doesn’t pull Ai in for another kiss, whispering his own against the other’s lips.


End file.
